#264: Bracken Darrell, CEO of VF Corporation – Good design can make anything better

How Leaders Lead with David Novak

David Novak Leadership

Entrepreneurship, Business, Management

4.8 • 596 Ratings

🗓️ 6 November 2025

⏱️ 64 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Bracken Darrell led remarkable turnarounds at both Old Spice and Logitech. Now he’s the CEO of VF Corporation, where he’s working to revitalize iconic brands like The North Face, Timberland, Vans, and more. Hit play on this episode and take a look at his playbook. It’s all about constantly growing and designing things to be better – whether it’s a product, a team, or his own understanding of quantum mechanics (no, really). You’ll also learn: The weird way he keeps a fresh outlook on his job The power of design, even outside of product development Why you’re an artist whether you realize it or not (and why that matters) One thing every great brand has in common Take your learning further. Get proven leadership advice from these (free!) resources: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The How Leaders Lead App⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: A vast library of 90-second leadership lessons to stay sharp on the go ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Daily Insight Emails⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: One small (but powerful!) leadership principle to focus on each day Whichever you choose, you can be sure you’ll get the trusted leadership advice you need to advance your career, develop your team, and grow your business.

Transcript

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0:00.0	My ideal scenario is that how you interact with our company, whether you buy our products or you sell to us,
0:05.7	or you just walk in the lobby one time and you never come back. Somehow we make your life a little better.
0:14.0	My hometown is Louisville, Kentucky, as you know, and I know you lived in Louisville, Kentucky.
0:21.1	And I understand you grew up in Owensboro, Kentucky.
0:25.7	I got to ask you, are you a Kentucky Wildcat fan?
0:28.8	Well, I'm going to get a lot of shade from this, but no, I am not a Kentucky Wildcat fan.
0:33.7	I grew up on Indiana Hoosier fan, believe it or not, and a Louisville Cardinal fan.
0:38.2	That's funny, because when I moved to Louisville, I was an Indiana fan, a Louisville fan, and a Kentucky fan, and a Kansas fan.
0:48.7	Now, nobody, I guarantee you, nobody in this part of the world has those four teams.
0:53.8	But when you grow up here, you really throw the mantle down behind Indiana, Kentucky, or Louisville, no question about it.
1:01.0	You know, I am I still play a lot of basketball today.
1:04.1	I'm a basketball fanatic.
1:05.5	I admire great basketball, so I've always admired Kentucky.
1:08.4	But if you ask me if I was a fan, I was a fan.
1:10.7	Back at Bobby Knight was the Hoosiers coach.
1:13.3	And he was crazy at times.
1:15.9	So I lost a lot of love for that.
1:17.6	But I did love the fundamentals.
1:19.2	And that's what Indiana always stood for.
1:20.7	So you had to have a hoop in your driveway like everybody else in Kentucky.
1:25.4	I had a hoop in my backyard that my dad laid with some other guys he worked with,
1:31.6	and they made the mistake at the end of getting a broom and brushing it over the top,
	...

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